New Zion
“New Zion is surrounded by hostile nations just waitin' to attack. Whether it be the godless sodomites of the United States of America to our north, the n*gger loving filth of the Louisiana Republic to our south or the mass hordes of Pope-worshippin' spics to our west, it is our duty as honourable, god-fearin' white folk to defend our homes, our women and our children against these damned foreigners who'd see us fall away from the light of Christ. Be a man and get yourself armed” -''' a speech by Reginald H. Scott, fourth President of the Christian Republic of New Zion, opening The Annual Arms Fair in Little Rock, Summer of 1898 ' The Christian Republic of New Zion, affectionately known as the Eden of the West is a landlocked theocratic presidential republic, bordering the United States of America to the north, the Carolina Republic and the Republic of Georgia to the east, Louisiana to the south, the Republic of Texas to the south-west and the United States of Mexico to the west. History The State of Arkansas was the 10th state to secede from the United States in 1841, during a time of great political instability in the United States. Upon independence, evangelical preacher and leader of the independence movement Mordechai Stevenson famously made his “Vision of Zion” speech, “Today, brothers and sisters, I had a vision. A vision of a state independent of the heathens in Washington, who'd tell you that a Papist should have the same rights as a true god-fearing Christian such as yourselves. A vision of a state independent of the man in New York who'd tell you that the savage negro deserves the same rights as an educated white man! Yes, my friends, I have a vision of a state where the full glory of Christ is honoured in the courts, in the schools and in the senate! Together, we shall build this new nation, this new ZION, and we shall show the world that the true followers of Christ are a force to be reckoned with!” This new state was proclaimed the Christian Republic of New Zion. The United States, too busy dealing with a war on 3 fronts with Carolina, Georgia and Mexico, didn't show much of a reaction to Arkansas declaring independence, nor the fact it took all of the old Arkansas territory. New Zion quickly alienated itself from its neighbouring states, cutting all ties to the USA and Mexico. It forged a friendship with the Republic off Georgia, the most Christian-orientated breakaway state (although much less so than New Zion). In 1872, New Zion severed all ties with Louisiana when the state banned the slave trade, accusing the state of “falling to the temptations of the heretical European powers”, thus leaving only the Republic of Georgia, the Carolina Republic and the Republic of Texas as friendly neighbours to the state. New Zion saw a large influx of white (of mainly English and German stock) protestants between 1850 and 1890. By the turn of the century, the capital city of Little Rock had a population of 72,000. Most citizens of New Zion adhere to the state-sponsored Evangelical Zionist Church. Although no census of religion has ever been taken as the State claims the entire population belong to the church, this is clearly untrue as Catholics are routinely persecuted in the south-west of the state. Estimates from British sources, although limited, put the actual demographic as around 90% EZC, 8% other Protestant denominations and 1 or 2% Catholic. Information '''National motto:' “In the Lord we find strength” Population (1899 census): 2,746,115 Official language: English State religion: '''Christianity (Evangelical Zionist Church) '''Demonym: Zionist, Arkansan, Arkansawyer Capital: '''Little Rock '''Area: 117,000 square miles (188,290 square kilometres) Government: Unitary presidential Christian republic President: Reginald H. Scott Vice President: Richard Coburn Legislature: Grand Christian Assembly Currency: '''New Zion Dollar '''Note: All countries are written about from the perspective of the modern day (1900 AD). Category:Nations